76 - The Divine Physician’s Overbearing Wife

Chapter 76: Illuminate The method to activate the Qinggong Tower was incredibly intricate, with the most crucial aspect being the abundant supply of spiritual energy. Yun Mi Xue, leading twenty titled disciples, guarded the periphery of the Qinggong Tower. Each disciple was responsible for a designated area, promptly replacing depleted spirit stones to ensure the large spirit-gathering formation operated successfully, maintaining the spiritual energy supply to the tower. Masterfully directing the disciples, Yun Mi Xue seemed to radiate a luminescent aura, captivating anyone who laid eyes on her. Yan Zhu Guang watched intently, without blinking, until the tower began to open. After various complex rituals such as arranging the formation and activating the doors, the grand entrance of the Qinggong Tower finally swung open. Eager disciples, who had been ready and waiting, rushed in the moment the doors allowed. Among them was Su Qian Er. Despite her mere first-level Qi Condensation stage ability, her speed was impressive, almost moving at the instant the doors opened. Though limited strength caused her to be overtaken by others, her relentless determination was unmatched by anyone else. Yan Zhu Guang had promised to enter with Su Qian Er but now could only nod regretfully towards Yun Mi Xue and then redirect her focus. With quick strides, she joined Su Qian Er's side. "Sister Su, with this crowd, it's inconvenient. Follow me, and I'll help you squeeze in," she offered. Although unclear on the benefits of entering the tower first, Yan Zhu Guang had no intention of being left behind if everyone else was rushing forward. Su Qian Er did not refuse, silently trailing Yan Zhu Guang by half a step. Yan Zhu Guang skillfully led Su Qian Er through the throng and into the Qinggong Tower. For a moment, the emptiness in Su Qian Er's eyes diminished slightly, replaced by a glance of gratitude towards Yan Zhu Guang. However, that gratitude turned to mild surprise when she entered the tower, as Yan Zhu Guang had suddenly disappeared. Inside the door was a dimly lit space, not so pitch-black that nothing was visible, but entirely devoid of people. There was no sign of Yan Zhu Guang, and newcomers continued to flood in, only to vanish immediately upon entry. Reaching forward, Su Qian Er found nothing amiss and decided to charge forward with closed eyes. Soon, her figure vanished into the darkness, melting into the inky expanse. At that moment, a faint ripple stirred within the space—a tremor in a hidden corner sensed only by Yan Zhu Guang, who hadn't entered the tower immediately. From the start, she had never truly intended to storm the tower with Su Qian Er. Su Qian Er, in the Qi Condensation stage, was fundamentally different from Yan Zhu Guang in the Foundation Establishment stage; even if they entered hand in hand, they would end up in different places. Stating she would accompany Su Qian Er was merely a ruse to test her. "She has never been through the Qinggong Tower." Based on recent observations, Yan Zhu Guang drew this conclusion. If Su Qian Er had entered before, she would not be unaware of its interior. Even if agreeing to enter together was a deception, Su Qian Er's expression of surprise would not have emerged after realizing Yan Zhu Guang had "entered first." "As I thought," the system said, "Su Qian Er definitely isn't the protagonist. The protagonist has clearly been through the Qinggong Tower, so how could she behave like this?" Yan Zhu Guang remained noncommittal, acknowledging, "There indeed lies a question." "What sort of person would be intimately familiar with the inner workings of the Fenghua Immortal Sect yet never have ventured into the Qinggong Tower?" "Umm..." The system was stumped. It was indeed puzzling. The inner sanctum of Fenghua Immortal Sect wasn't easily accessible to just anyone. Outsiders familiarizing themselves with the layout was nearly impossible. As for access to the Qinggong Tower, that was virtually a rite of passage for inner disciples. This disparity posed a contradiction. "Could it be a nominal disciple?" the system speculated. "Nominal disciples have restricted access, not allowed everywhere, but they possess some knowledge of the inner workings." Yan Zhu Guang shook her head, sensing it was not a nominal disciple: "What connection could a nominal disciple have with Gu Chen and the Senior Sister?" Su Qian Er harbored animosity towards Gu Chen, feared the Senior Sister, and was terrified of one among Yun Mi Xue, Chu Ning Yan, and Yun Chang Yue. Could any nominal disciple meet these criteria? "Could it be He Sheng," the system suggested suddenly, "He Sheng was slain by Yun Chang Yue, resented the Senior Sister for expelling her, and although unclear about her ties with Gu Chen, the first two match up." "Wouldn't He Sheng recognize me?" Yan Zhu Guang had considered this but dismissed it after observing Su Qian Er's lost look: "If it were He Sheng, she wouldn't appear as confused as Su Qian Er did upon awakening inside her body." "This Su Qian Er hasn't seen me; she likely belongs to a parallel world where I don't exist." Impressed by her understanding of parallel worlds, the system pondered if it had mentioned the term before, learned from her interaction, or used it in a different context? Failing still to determine Su Qian Er's true identity, Yan Zhu Guang found the situation troublesome but pushed her thoughts aside. Releasing her concealment, she entered the Qinggong Tower. The next moment, Yan Zhu Guang emerged into a new, unfamiliar space. Flooded in fiery red, the environment was intensely hot, with Yan Zhu Guang as its sole occupant. Her presence immediately triggered a disturbance, as countless fireballs sprang forth, rushing towards her in the blink of an eye. How unfortunate that she, predominantly cultivating wood element spells with a primary wood-based spirit creature, found herself thrust into the environment most antithetical to her. Quickly, Yan Zhu Guang dodged the oncoming fireballs, reaching another direction yet still slightly singed by the dense flames. Without so much as a flinch, Yan Zhu Guang demonstrated the fruits of her physical training from the book "Cold Thorns." Though injured by the blaze, she felt no pain, needing no effort to endure, and her actions remained unhindered. After evading to one side, fresh fireballs locked onto her, flying rapidly in her direction. The barrage was relentless, with fires seemingly endless and unsparing, committed to burning Yan Zhu Guang to ash. Cultivators skilled in fire arts often had temperamental dispositions, and the creator of this fiery challenge was undoubtedly both fiery-tempered and unyieldingly persistent. The fire's essence was so refined it couldn’t be easily shattered. Being of Fenghua's inner sect, the strength was naturally formidable. Being disadvantaged by elemental opposition, Yan Zhu Guang dared not deploy her own spells and refrained from deploying the Feast Blood Vine. Her current spells were at a disadvantage, potentially exacerbating the flames rather than defeating them. As for the Feast Blood Vine, despite its quality rendering it fearless of such flames, relying on it would defeat the purpose of undergoing this trial. Yan Zhu Guang, therefore, did not intend to use the Feast Blood Vine within the Qinggong Tower, barring extraordinary circumstances. She refrained from counterattacking, opting rather to dodge incessantly. Initially singed by stray flames, her evasive maneuvers grew steadily swifter, allowing her to traverse the fires unscathed. Though confrontations in this lifetime were few, leaving her somewhat rusty, the Qinggong Tower provided a perfect opportunity to sharpen her skills and reclaim her past agility. After enduring the fiery trial long enough, and the flames struggling to keep pace with her agility, Yan Zhu Guang lost interest. With a gentle rub of her thumb against her forefinger, a dark droplet of blood materialized at her fingertip. With a soft breath, Yan Zhu Guang propelled the venomous blood through the layers of flames, targeting the intense golden flicker in the depths of red—a direct hit. Sizzle... The black venom, rapidly consumed by the golden fire, transformed into dense black smoke, which surprisingly lingered and drifted back, engulfing the golden flame in languid encirclement, gradually constricting. The golden flame, ensnared by the encroaching smoke, gradually lost its vigor, its prior dynamism vanished. Just as the golden fire was about to be extinguished by the toxic haze, the fiery red space rapidly receded, ejecting Yan Zhu Guang entirely. After a vertiginous moment, without warning, Yan Zhu Guang landed in a shadowy world, feet meeting solid earth. A bizarre landscape of jagged stones stretched out before her. Under the dim light, the peculiar formations exuded an eerie, intimidating aura. Alert at a subtle sense of danger, Yan Zhu Guang felt the ground give way beneath her. The once solid earth morphed into a mire, binding her feet securely. Following the transformation, the entire space underwent an upheaval, with misshapen rocks dissolving into pliant walls, softening continuously until losing their form and collapsing into the swamp, stirring up mounds of black sludge. With the terrain collapsing from all sides, Yan Zhu Guang found herself amidst several mud mounds, and if any of these were to topple over, she'd likely become just another pool of sludge in the black swamp. Reacting swiftly, she scattered handfuls of grass seeds. These seeds, enveloped in a shimmering green glow, rooted themselves upon contact with the black mud, rapidly growing upward and intertwining into a sturdy net of grass, holding the crumbling earth in place. A similar net of grass, born from the seeds she planted, supported Yan Zhu Guang’s feet, lifting her from the mire. "This stone swamp's essence certainly has its intrigues," Yan Zhu Guang mused aloud. With each step, a green net of grass sprang forth beneath her, holding her aloft as she moved across the dark swamp. Her eyes scanned the surroundings with keen interest, amused by the challenge. Had it not been for the versatility of her spells, she might have succumbed to the swamp's perils. As Yan Zhu Guang moved, the grass net extended in a continuous line. She then took a step back, retreating swiftly. Moments later, where she had just stood, a massive clod of mud came crashing down, obliterating the grass net entirely. Far from disheartened, Yan Zhu Guang simply pivoted and ventured in another direction. Curious, the system inquired, "Master, how do we resolve this place?"